Interstate 345 (I-345) is a
Auxiliary Interstate Highway
Auxiliary Interstate Highways (also called three-digit Interstate Highways) are a supplemental subset of the freeways within the Interstate Highway System of the United States.
Auxiliary routes are generally classified as spur routes, which conn ...
in the city of
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
within the US state of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
. It is a
freeway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...
that connects
I-45
Interstate 45 (I-45) is a major Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Texas. While most Interstate routes which have numbers ending in "5" are cross-country north–south routes, I-45 is comparatively short, with the ...
(which ends at the
interchange with
I-30 i30, I30, i-30 or I-30 may refer to:
*Interstate 30, an Interstate Highway in the southern United States
*, an Imperial Japanese Navy submarine during World War II
* (1940-1968), a Royal Australian Navy ''Tribal''-class destroyer
*I30, a 9000 serv ...
) with
U.S. Highway 75 (US 75;
North Central Expressway
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''north'' i ...
) at
State Highway Spur 366 (Spur 366; Woodall Rodgers Freeway). Few maps actually display the road as I-345; signposts on the road show US 75 northbound, while southbound the highway is signed as I-45. In recent years, a debate over whether to maintain or
decommission
Decommissioning is a general term for a formal process to remove something from an active status, and may refer to:
Infrastructure
* Decommissioned offshore
* Decommissioned highway
* Greenfield status of former industrial sites
* Nuclear dec ...
I-345 has received increased attention from several Dallas media outlets.
Route description
I-345 serves as the connection between I-45 and the North Central Expressway (US 75). It starts at the intersection of I-45 and I-30, passes by Downtown Dallas, and connects to US 75 at the Spur 366 junction. The entire stretch of I-345 is elevated allowing for better connections between
Downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas is the central business district (CBD) of Dallas, Texas, United States, located in the geographic center of the city. It is the second-largest business district in the state of Texas. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally ...
and
Deep Ellum.
Although I-345 uses its own mileposts, the exit numbering is not consistent. The exit numbers on the northbound stretch count upward from the I-45 numbers (the exit for Spur 366 being labeled as exit 286A), while, on the southbound stretch, the Spur 366 exit is numbered exit 1A, followed by the exit for Ross Avenue numbered exit 285.
History
![Dallas, Texas 1955 Yellow Book](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Dallas%2C_Texas_1955_Yellow_Book.jpg)
In 1964, I-345, extending I-45 north along the proposed Central Expressway bypass, was added as a proposed state highway.
[ I-345 was built and opened in the 1970s. At the north end, before it merged into the Central Expressway (which continued to carry US 75), I-345 straddled the bridges over Bryan Street and Ross Avenue, the latter the location of the opening ceremonies in 1949. Because of their location, these two bridges were not replaced in the 1990s reconstruction of the North Central Expressway and are the only surviving grade separations from the initial construction north from downtown.]
Future
There has recently been a growing level of local news coverage of a proposal to completely remove I-345 and decommission it from the Interstate Highway System due to the fact that the Interstate separates the Downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas is the central business district (CBD) of Dallas, Texas, United States, located in the geographic center of the city. It is the second-largest business district in the state of Texas. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally ...
and Deep Ellum
Deep Ellum is an American neighborhood composed largely of arts and entertainment venues near downtown in East Dallas, Texas. The name is based on a corruption of the area's principal thoroughfare, Elm Street. Older alternative uses include D ...
neighborhoods.
The proposal would demolish the elevated structure, but, instead of replacing it with a below-grade structure (similar to that of Woodall Rogers), it would be replaced with an at-grade parkway and reconnected streets (some of which are disconnected by the current structure).
Media outlets, including ''The Dallas Morning News
''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the '' Galvest ...
'', the ''Dallas Observer
''Dallas Observer'' is a free digital and print publication based in Dallas, Texas. The ''Observer'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music, and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue circ ...
'', and ''D Magazine
''D Magazine'' is a monthly magazine covering Dallas–Fort Worth. It is headquartered in Downtown Dallas.
''D Magazine'' covers a range of topics including politics, business, food, fashion and lifestyle in the city of Dallas. The first ...
,'' first discussed the proposal in 2012 and 2013.
In February 2014, the Texas Department of Transportation
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT ) is a government agency in the American state of Texas. Though the public face of the agency is generally associated with the construction and maintenance of the state's immense state highway system ...
(TxDOT) announced plans to spend $100 million (equivalent to $ in ) to repair the existing I-345 structure, but Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings
Michael Scott Rawlings (born August 25, 1954) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 59th Mayor of Dallas, Texas. A member of the Democratic Party, he won the nonpartisan 2011 Dallas mayoral election defeating former Dallas ...
responded by saying that the decommissioning/removal alternative should be further considered before any repair. After further investigation, Rawlings concluded that repairs should proceed in advance of a study and decision on the fate of the road.
In April 2014, Michael Morris, the transportation director of the North Central Texas Council of Governments
The North Central Texas Council of Governments or NCTCOG is a voluntary association of governments in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Its ranks currently include 230 member governments including 16 counties, numerous cities, school districts, ...
, created controversy by suggesting that proponents of the decommissioning/removal are predominantly white, wealthy, and do not live in the area near I-345, as opposed to predominantly Black-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, working class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...
, South Dallas
South Dallas is an area in Dallas, Texas. It is south of Downtown Dallas, bordered by Trinity River on the west, Interstate 30 on the north, and the Great Trinity Forest to the south and east. In recent years the City of Dallas and organizations ...
residents that could be affected by the decommissioning/removal. Morris later apologized for his comments.
With its May 2014 issue, ''D Magazine'' became the first major local news publication to endorse the decommissioning/removal proposal.
In September 2016, TxDOT published the CityMAP Assessment Report, which included an analysis of the effects of highway removal on the I-345 corridor.
In April 2021, the Toole Design Group created a draft report to further study the impacts of the changes in mobility from the highway removal; the draft report was presented to Dallas city council.
Exit list
See also
*
*
Notes
References
External links
{{Attached KML, display=inline,title
Texas Department of Transportation
(Official website)
A New Dallas
(Group advocating removal of I-345)
Interstate 45
45
45-3
Highways in Dallas